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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Quick and Delicious Collards

Over the holiday, we ate more unhealthy restaurant food than I care to admit, so when we got home, I was ready for a little good home-cooking. Since I didn't have the energy to make anything fancy, I thought I'd keep it simple and unblogworthy. I had some organic collards that I'd bought before we left town and 3/4 of a butternut squash; I figured I'd cook them and heat up some beans and we'd have a healthy dinner, but nothing to write here about.

I tossed the cubes of butternut squash with a teaspoon of zest and a tablespoon of juice from one of my dad's lemons, sprinkled it with freshly ground pepper, and put it in the oven at 400F to bake. While it was roasting, I heated the beans and started chopping the collards. Since I had a little time, I took a couple of shots of the collards, both raw and cooked, then put them back into the pot to keep warm. Once the squash was tender, we ate . . . and we marveled. My husband said that it was one of the best meals he's had. (I didn't really think about that comment at the time, but I'm choosing now to take it as a compliment.) Daughter E. loved the squash and designated it kid-friendly, even though I told her it wouldn't be on the blog. And, biggest surprise of all, little Miss Greens-Hater ate all of her collards without complaint!

So, I was happy I had photographed the greens, at least. This is easily the best-tasting and fastest collards recipe I've ever made. Southern cooks have been known to simmer collard greens for hours, but these took less than 7 minutes in the pressure cooker. The nearly-caramelized onions and garlic infuse them with flavor, and cut into thin strands like this, they're kind of fun to eat. I'm suddenly feeling very happy that I planted collard greens in my garden again this fall!

Super-fast Collard Greens

Quick and Delicious Collards

1-2 bunches collard greens (as much as your pressure cooker will hold)
1 large onion, peeled and cut into thin rings
2 tablespoons water
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
generous pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup water

Cut off the stems of the collard greens, removing any part of the central stem that seems tough. Stack 2 or 3 leaves on top of each other, roll them up so that they form a long tube, and cut them into thin strands:

Sliced Collard Greens

Repeat with all the collards.

Spray the bottom of the pressure cooker lightly with olive oil and heat. Add the onions and 2 tablespoons water and cook, stirring, until the water evaporates. Keep cooking and stirring until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in the collard greens, add the 1 cup of water, and seal the cooker. Bring to high pressure and then reduce heat to keep the cooker at high pressure for 3 minutes. (If you are using small, baby collards, cook at high pressure for only 1 minute.) Remove from heat and use a quick-release method to reduce the pressure. Check the collards for tenderness; if they're still tough, put them back on the heat, but don't seal the cooker. Cook until tender. Salt, if desired, and serve (using a slotted spoon) with additional red pepper flakes.

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19 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Simple and good. Not to mention, gorgeous! Can I absorb vitamins thru my monitor screen? Slurp.

4:59 PM, November 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh I'm so excited to make this recipe. I've bought collards a few times, but I had never had them before and never knew what to do with them. I threw them in random meals, but now I finally have a recipe to follow- yay!

I'm sad that we won't be seeing the amazing butternut squash dinner:(. But I'm glad you got such well received compliments.

-Teresa

11:39 PM, November 28, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

http://drunkandbroke.blogspot.com

4:07 AM, November 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've been looking for a way to cook collard greens and this looks great! Do you have any idea how I could try out this recipe without a pressure cooker?

6:10 AM, November 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

they looks fantastic!

8:54 AM, November 29, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I've never eaten collard greens before but now you've piqued my interest. Too bad I don't have a pressure cooker.

10:06 AM, November 29, 2006  
Blogger SusanV said...

If I were going to make this without the pressure cooker, I'd try to steam them by cooking them covered tightly on very low heat. Watch and add water as necessary, and stir them from time to time to make sure the same greens don't stay in the water all the time. It'll take longer than 3 minutes, but how long will probably depend on the freshness of the collards.

But my goal on earth is to make sure that all vegan cooks (and all cooks who like to cook vegetables) get pressure cookers. Put one of these inexpensive Fagor Pressure Cookers on your wish list or go for the gold and ask for my favorite, the Kuhn Rikon (which is more expensive, but worth it, and the price has gone down since I bought mine). You would not believe how many times I've thrown together a meal in no time because of my beloved pressure cooker.

4:03 PM, November 29, 2006  
Blogger springsandwells said...

Fun! I think I'll try this. I love, love, love collard greens and make them often. They are definitely my favorite of all the green veggies! I use my pressure cooker, but I should use it more. My mom got it for me at the thrift store & it works great!

Do you need to keep the little steamer bit on the bottom when you cook the onions, or can you take that part out?

:) Amey

8:51 PM, November 29, 2006  
Blogger SusanV said...

Amey, you won't need the steamer insert for this recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

9:17 PM, November 29, 2006  
Blogger Vanessa said...

Thanks Susan! Another great reason for me to get over my fear of pressure cooking :-)

I do love collards!

8:39 AM, November 30, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, how I love collards. And you are so right, they so don't take hours to cook. I've never used my pressure cooker to cook greens, so this is a new technique I'm learning- thanks!

9:36 PM, November 30, 2006  
Blogger mrbunsrocks said...

Is there another name for collards?

I'm in Canada, and I honestly don't think I've ever seen collards in our grocery stores....ideas?

I have a Lagostina pressure maker (stolen from my mom), but I'm honestly terrified of the thing and haven't used it in a couple of years.

7:25 PM, December 02, 2006  
Blogger ms mimi the mocha soulchild said...

My family is from the south, so I've never seen greens cooked any other way than simmered for hours, (usually with meat) and other veggies to season. I've made slow cooked greens that way with veggie seasonings, and they have turned out great.

I have, on occasion, thought it would be nice not to have to wait hours for greens. I will have to try this and see how it turns out.

11:31 PM, December 05, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I replaced the garlic cloves with granulated garlic and it turned out great. We paired it with some very spicy dal which is an odd but satisfying combination.

This recipe is terrific, even my nonveg hubby agrees. Thank you for the idea!

11:59 PM, December 24, 2006  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh yay,Every Thanksgiving my family makes Collards but put meat in them,and I am Vegetarian,so this year I am making them! THANKS!

5:25 PM, November 11, 2007  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Kale would make a reasonable replacement for collards. Kale will probably cook quicker, as it is not quite as tough. I like the stems the best, myself, but tough old kale shipped thousands of miles from a hot climate might not be the same as the stuff I knock the ice off to eat from my back yard.

Rob.

7:10 PM, November 09, 2009  
Blogger Deborah W said...

I'm stupidly afraid of my pressure cooker but I'm going to get it out and make this recipe. I just bought collard greens {for the first time!} yesterday so this post was perfectly timed for me. Thx so much!

Deborah at Webajeb

1:08 PM, January 04, 2010  
Blogger I'm Xan! I'm a person, I swear! said...

This sounds simple and yummy. Maybe it's that I was raised in California, but the idea of cooking greens for more than a few *minutes* would never occur to me! I grew a gigantic hedge of collards this year (ahem - overplanted! ;P ), which we worked our way through stir-fry after stir-fry. I just trimmed the toughest parts of the stems, did the roulade cut you describe, and threw them into the pan after the onions and other thicker veggies were nearing done. Then add a little cooking liquid (whatever was appropriate to the flavor profile I was attempting), and put a lid on for a few minutes 'til the greens wilted, then tossed them with the other veggies 'til they were incorporated.
I never found them tough. My husband likes them a little more cooked than I do, but never objected to these.
My rule is that the color should only get MORE intense. If it goes off towards gray, it's compost.

I love this blog! I looked it up today so I could send the link to a newly vegan friend. :)

2:25 PM, January 05, 2010  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I can take or leave collards, but these came out much better than what I eat at my in-laws. My husband ate half of mine, went back to the pot 4 times, and then wanted more for his lunch tomorrow. He is about as southern as they come, so I would call these a success. Thanks for another healthy and quick recipe!

11:40 PM, January 07, 2010  

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